Enchanted
by XxMNinjaxX
Summary: Story 7 of the "Akane's Sister" series. A story of how Tomoko and Akane first met.
1. Part 1

Summary: Story 7 of the "Akane's Sister" series. A story of how Tomoko and Akane first met.

**Who else loved Yuruyuri Season 2, Episode 12? ^_^ Finally, some Akane/Tomoko interaction! X3 I would really love for there to be more of that. And more of getting to know their characters individually too (also like there has been in Season 2)! :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yuruyuri! Namori-sensei does! I also don't own Candy Boy! Hiro Touge-sensei owns Candy Boy. And I don't own the song "Enchanted," which belongs to Taylor Swift.**

**Main Characters= Tomoko Y., Akane A.**

* * *

Enchanted: Part 1

"_All I can say is it was, enchanting to meet you…"  
__-"Enchanted" by Taylor Swift_

A pink-haired girl with beautiful red eyes sat in a college classroom, gazing at an overhead projector screen that was currently displaying a powerpoint presentation. Scrolling through the presentation from the computer next to the screen, was a professor teaching a lesson in Zoology. The pink-haired university student was not paying attention to the lecturing professor, however, and nor was she thinking about Zoology. She was thinking about a moment in her past which had changed her life.

You see, Tomoko Yoshikawa was in love. She had been for the past 6 years. The moment she had fallen in love, had been the moment when that brave, kind girl had given her her first kiss…

* * *

When Tomoko was 12 years old, she had attended a party. The party had been hosted by a friend of her friends'. Tomoko's friends, Yukino and Kanade, had recently moved to a new town, but luckily, the town also happened to be the town Tomoko's grandmother lived in. Because of this, the three best friends were able to keep in contact.

Yukino, a sweet, blond-haired, brown-eyed girl, had invited Tomoko to attend the party with her in an attempt to introduce her to her new school friends. (Meanwhile, Kanade, the least social one of the three, had opted to spend the night at home.)

* * *

"I don't know about this, Yuki-chan…" Tomoko, a young, pink-haired, first year middle school student said shyly. She held onto her friend's hand nervously.

"Don't worry, Tomo-chan. Everybody here's really nice, so you have nothing to worry about." Yukino looked at her best friend with a reassuring smile.

"…Ok. If you say so…"

The two friends walked to the front door of the house, knocking on the door and preparing to enter the party.

* * *

Yukino hadn't known it at the time, (although she does know it now, being that she and Tomoko are still best friends to this day) but her words of reassurance to Tomoko were misinformed. Most of the people attending that particular party were your average middle school-aged girls: most of who, although appearing nice, had formidable catty sides. This (sometimes vicious) catty side is and was especially brought out when these girls came into contact with another (sometimes unfortunate, unsuspecting) girl who they considered to be a threat.

* * *

The front door of the house opened.

"Hi, Yukino-san! Oh, this must be the friend you told me you were bringing!" A girl with long brown hair and green eyes stood in the open doorway of the house, smiling at Yukino and Tomoko.

"Hi, Nao-san. Yeah, this is Tomoko Yoshikawa, my friend from my hometown." Yukino had said happily.

"P-please forgive my intrusion! I hope that we can be good friends!" Tomoko stuttered nervously.

Nao's green eyes looked the pink-haired middle school student up and down for a fraction of a second.

'Hmm…she's really pretty…' Nao had thought, careful to keep her inviting expression from becoming sour. 'I hadn't expected this. Her looks could be a problem, but…no, she seems so shy, she shouldn't be any competition at all. She'll probably just stick with Yukino-san the entire time. And she's leaving town tomorrow anyway. Plus, I can't really kick her out after telling Yukino-san she could come, at least not without looking like a jerk, and that would ruin my entire plan…Ok, it's settled.'

"Welcome, Tomoko-san! I know already that we'll be great friends." Nao shot Tomoko an award-winning smile. "Come in, and make yourselves at home. The house is all ours for tonight, and snacks and drinks are set up in the kitchen."

Tomoko breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the party host's friendly acceptance. She smiled at the brown-haired host gratefully, nodded in thanks, and entered the house with Yukino.

"See, Tomo-chan? I told you it was all right. Nao-san likes you, and everybody else will too!" The brown-eyed blond smiled sincerely at her pink-haired friend.

"You're right, Yuki-chan! Thanks for inviting me!"

* * *

The "plan" Nao had been referring to during her assessment of Tomoko had been her plot to gain the attention of the most popular girl in her school. Although this _most popular girl_ hadn't expressed interest in anybody at school (She was always so elegant and cool! But still so kind and thoughtful! A perfect combination!), it had been guessed by students that there was a possibility that the school idol had a thing for nice people. Nao (hoping that the popular girl was into nice girls) had intended to show her how nice and generous she was by throwing this party, and to, as a result, win the popular beauty's heart.

* * *

"Wow, there are quite a few people here." Tomoko said in surprise. Being a shy girl, she had never until then attended a party that had hosted more guests than just the host's close friends.

"Yeah, Nao-san invited all the students in our class, and everybody in one other class as well. Her family has a lot of money, so she can afford things like this."

"Wow…" Tomoko gazed around the room. After a moment of observation, her ruby-colored eyes fell on a sight that took her breath away.

"…Yuki-chan…Who's that girl over there?"

"Her? Oh, that's Akane Akaza, the most popular girl in my school."

"W-Wow…she's so beautiful…"

"Yeah, she's sort of off-limits, though. Just about every girl in the school has a crush on Akane-san, but Nao-san just recently declared that she's planning on asking Akane-san out, so naturally that means that everybody else has to back off. Being pretty popular herself, Nao-san has quite a bit of influence in the school. She's even planning on running for, and winning, the _secretary to the Vice President_ position in the student council next year _(A/N: The position that Chitose is currently in.)_, when Akane-san surely wins the position of Vice President." Yukino continued to look at Akane, watching as the red-haired girl smiled kindly at the group of girls she was talking to, making them blush happily. "But, anyway, the important thing is that, if you're going to talk to Akane-san, make sure you keep things platonic, ok?"

* * *

Following Yukino's advice would have allowed Tomoko to have a problem-free evening…but, the pink-haired girl had not been paying attention to her friend. The moment her eyes had fallen on the red-haired middle school idol across the room, Akane Akaza had become the sole focus of Tomoko's world.

* * *

'I…' the pink-haired girl thought, a light blush tinting her fair cheeks, 'I wonder if I should talk to her…' Tomoko's ruby-red eyes watched intently as the popular red-head talked politely with a group of girls across the room. 'No, I couldn't! I'd be way too nervous…' An embarrassed look adorned the middle school student's beautiful features. After a moment, all doubt temporarily left Tomoko's mind as she saw the red-haired beauty smile. 'Oh, but she's so beautiful! Her smile is so…_wonderful_…' The red tint to Tomoko's cheeks increased. 'I'll just…have to be brave and do it! I'm going to go talk to her.' The pink-haired girl nodded, a determined look adorning her features this time.

"Ok!" she said aloud, reaffirming to herself that she was indeed going to talk to the gorgeous, wonderful girl across the room.

"Good," Yukino responded, thinking that Tomoko's statement was a response to the advice she'd just given the ruby-eyed girl.

Tomoko turned to her friend. "I'm going to talk to her!" she declared both nervously and excitedly before walking off to do exactly so.

"Ok!" Yukino said cheerfully, unaware of her best friend's true, romantic intent. Before the real nature of the situation could register in Yukino's mind, however, the blond girl felt a hand tap her shoulder. The brown-eyed girl turned around, her eyes meeting ones that matched the color of hers exactly.

"Kana-chan!" Yukino exclaimed in surprise, a light blush tinting her cheeks, "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Yuki-chan…" the black-haired girl, Kanade, replied, shyly looking to the side. "Um…There's something I need to tell you…Will you…come outside with me, so we can talk privately, please? Th…There's a nice sunset…"

The black-haired girl extended her hand to the blond nervously.

"S-Sure…" Yukino replied, her heart fluttering as butterflies appeared in her stomach. She placed her hand in the other girl's. Her hand felt so warm and safe… 'Oh! Wait, what about Tomo-chan!' Yukino thought in alarm, quickly looking across the room to where Tomoko was. The pink-haired girl was currently engaged in a conversation with Akane.

'Oh…'the blond girl thought in surprise and innocent delight, 'It looks like Tomo-chan will be just fine! She really seems to have hit it off with Akane-san.' She looked back to the blushing, black-haired girl who was nervously leading her toward the house's exit. 'I could afford to step out for a few minutes…'

Yukino's heart fluttered in excitement once again as she followed Kanade out of the room and exited the house…

* * *

**While writing this chapter, I re-watched Tomoko's scene from Season 2 Episode 7…That girl is so cute! I love her so much! X3**

**Next chapter: Akane and Tomoko meet! :]**


	2. Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yuruyuri! Namori-sensei does! I also don't own Candy Boy! Hiro Touge-sensei owns Candy Boy. And, I don't own the song "Enchanted," which belongs to Taylor Swift.**

**Main Characters= Tomoko Y., Akane A.**

* * *

Enchanted: Part 2

"_Your eyes whisper 'Have we met?'  
Across the room your silhouette  
__starts to make its way to me…  
The playful conversation starts,  
Counter all your quick remarks,  
__like passing notes in secrecy…"  
__-"Enchanted" by Taylor Swift_

Previously on "Enchanted"…

'_Oh…' Yukino thought in surprise and innocent delight, 'It looks like Tomo-chan will be just fine! She really seems to have hit it off with Akane-san.' She looked back to the blushing, black-haired girl who was nervously leading her toward the house's exit. 'I could afford to step out for a few minutes…'_

_Yukino's heart fluttered in excitement once again as she followed Kanade out of the room and exited the house…_

* * *

That night had been the night Kanade had confessed to Yukino. Neither of them had made it back to the party, for…well…PG-13 (ok, really close to R) rated reasons…

Tomoko later forgave Yukino and Kanade for leaving her at the party. ("It's ok, Yuki-chan and Kana-chan! It's not every day that you get to have a really special moment with your true love!")

* * *

"H-Hi…" Tomoko said shyly, looking at Akane Akaza nervously. The group of girls around the middle school idol fell silent as Akane's attention focused on the beautiful pink-haired girl beside her.

"Hello," the popular red-head said with a smile, "I don't think we've met before. My name is Akane Akaza. Please, call me Akane." Tomoko blushed in amazement as she felt the kindness and warmth radiating naturally from the red-haired girl. She had no doubt that there was no mistake in why Akane had become the most loved student in Yuki-chan's school…

"It's nice to meet you, Akane-san. My name is Tomoko Yoshikawa. You can call me Tomoko…"

"It's nice to meet you as well, Tomoko-san." Akane's wonderful smile was beginning to make Tomoko's knees weak… "Have you just recently transferred to Nanamori?"

Tomoko snapped out of her Akane-induced daze. "Oh! Um, no, I don't go to Nanamori. I'm just visiting a friend. She's…" Tomoko looked around the room, searching for Yukino. After a moment, she realized that the blond girl was nowhere to be found. An expression of nervous fear took over the ruby-eyed girl's features. She turned to Akane. "She's not here anymore…"

Akane Akaza's heart ached empathetically as she saw the helpless look in the pink-haired girl's eyes.

"Tomoko-san," the red-haired girl said, looking at Tomoko kindly, "I'd be honored if you were to spend the evening with me. I have to leave early, but by that time, I'm sure we'll have found your friend, or at least have made sure that you've made many more friends at this party. And also…" Akane gave the ruby-eyed girl a friendly, reassuring smile. "I'd really love to have the opportunity to get to know you better."

Tomoko's heart skipped several beats in pure joy as she heard the other girl's kind words.

"I'd love to!" she replied with a huge smile.

Akane couldn't help but smile more as she saw the joyful look on Tomoko's features. "Ok. We were just talking about our plans for the school year. Is there anything you're planning on doing this year, Tomoko-san?"

'Getting to know you better, and… asking you to be my girlfriend…' Tomoko thought automatically, 'Wait, that's crazy! I've only just met her!' A blush tinted her cheeks once again. This time, it was slightly more intense. 'I really have to get a hold on these feelings! I don't even know if she likes girls, and, I don't want to scare her. I'm, even scaring myself a little…I just…I've never felt like this before, about anybody. It's…Could it be that I'm… in love? That…That this is, love at first sight…? Oh no, I'm getting ahead of myself again…Settle down, Tomoko!…'

'Tomoko-san is very beautiful…'Akane thought in awe as she saw the rose-red-eyed girl begin to blush again. A sudden thought crossed her mind, bringing a slight blush to her cheeks as well. 'Just like I know Akari will be when she's older!...Oh dear, I can't be thinking these thoughts about Akari again…I thought I'd gotten a hold on those feelings…Why can't I stop thinking of her in this way? Why am I never able to completely rid myself of these terrible feelings in my heart? Why-...This is not the time to be thinking about those things… I'm devoting my full attention to Tomoko-san now…'

"I plan to maintain my good grades, and to make friends," Tomoko responded, her cheeks still tinted pink from her earlier thoughts.

"I see. That sounds like a great plan!" Akane replied to the ruby-eyed girl encouragingly, a slight blush still covering her cheeks as well.

The girls surrounding Tomoko and Akane stared at their interaction in awe. This was not happening…some beautiful new girl had just waltzed in out of nowhere, and made Akane blush? Akane had never before blushed so much at something somebody else had done! Who did this new girl think she was?!

"So, Tomoko-san," A black-haired girl from the surrounding group said, looking at Tomoko, "In your own town, you have a boyfriend, right? A pretty girl like you has to be taken already…right?" The other girls in the group surrounding Akane and Tomoko nodded in agreement, suppressing their urge to glare daggers at the timid, pink-haired girl.

Tomoko blushed even more, her rose-colored gaze shifting to the floor shyly. "M-me? Oh, no, I don't…A...A few boys have asked me out, but, I'm afraid that I had to tell them 'no'…I just…" Tomoko looked up, cheeks tinted pink, her beautiful, ruby-red eyes meeting Akane's… "…Wasn't in love with them…"

Akane returned the red-eyed girl's gentle, passion-latent gaze, sending her a soft and empathetic smile. "That's ok, Tomoko-san. Sincere feelings are important in a relationship. I'm sure that someday you'll meet somebody you truly love."

'I think I already have…' Tomoko thought, holding the other girl's gaze in awe and sending her a gentle smile of her own. "Yeah, I'm..I'm sure you're right…"

The pair's sweet moment was cut short as a loud voice cut through the room.

"How's everybody doing?" Nao shouted cheerfully, coming into the room with a large, friendly smile.

There was a chorus of "Great!"'s, happy nods, and approving lifts of drinks. The green-eyed girl nodded cheerfully in response and continued her way across the room, stopping when she arrived beside Akane.

"Akane-san, I'm really glad you could make it. I know you have to leave early, to make sure your younger sister is ok at home while your parents go to that late-night movie premiere tonight, but I'm really glad that you took the time to come here and enjoy the festivities!" Nao shot Akane an award-winning grin.

Akane smiled back kindly. "The pleasure is mine, Nao-san. Thank you for inviting me."

"It's really no problem. I just wanted to give everybody in our classes an opportunity to have a good time."

"That's very kind of you," Akane replied. Nao's pulse-rate jumped.

'Yes! The plan is going perfectly! Pretty soon I'll be able to- …" The brunette's inner-monologue was cut short as she caught sight of the pink-haired girl next to Akane. Nao also noticed that Tomoko was standing quite a bit closer to Akane than the girls in the surrounding group were…

"Tomoko-san! I was just about to look for you next. Have you been enjoying the party?" Her gaze locked onto Tomoko.

The shy, pink-haired girl, completely unaware of the party host's scrutiny (as well as of the intent stares that were being shot at her by the other girls in the group that surrounded Tomoko and Akane), replied happily, "Yes, Nao-san, thank you! I've been having a wonderful time talking with Akane-san…" Tomoko sent a smile to the red-haired girl, who smiled happily in return.

"Since Yuki-chan seems to have stepped out for awhile, Akane-san agreed to spend the night with me until she has to leave." Tomoko continued. Akane nodded in confirmation.

Nao's jaw locked in irritation, but she was able to keep an expression similar to a smile on her face.

"Oh, now did she?" the green-eyed girl grinned, making an effort to keep her tone pleasant, "Well, that's Akane-san for you…always being nice to and looking out for others…" Jealous fire was burning behind Nao's sweet demeanor… 'This completely ruins my plan!'

* * *

**That's it for this chapter!**

**Next Chapter: Fluff between our two protagonists, and dangerous jealousy from others!**


	3. Part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yuruyuri! Namori-sensei does! I also don't own Candy Boy! Hiro Touge-sensei owns Candy Boy. And, I don't own the song "Enchanted," which belongs to Taylor Swift.**

**Main Characters= Tomoko Y., Akane A.**

*****Important! Before posting Part 3, I changed the beginning of Part 1 of this story. There's a brief scene in the beginning of Part 1 that's worth reading quickly if you want to understand the end of the story (which will occur at the end of Part 4).*****

* * *

Enchanted: Part 3

"_The lingering question kept me up,  
__2am, 'Who do you love?'  
I wonder til' I'm wide awake…  
And now I'm pacing back and forth  
wishing you were at my door,  
I'd open up and you would say, 'Hey,  
it was, enchanting to meet you…  
All I know is I, was enchanted to meet you…' "  
__-"Enchanted" by Taylor Swift_

Previously on "Enchanted"…

"_I just…" Tomoko looked up, cheeks tinted pink, her beautiful, ruby-red eyes meeting Akane's… "…Wasn't in love with them…"_

_Akane returned the red-eyed girl's gentle, passion-latent gaze, sending her a soft and empathetic smile. "That's ok, Tomoko-san. Sincere feelings are important in a relationship. I'm sure that someday you'll meet somebody you truly love."_

_'I think I already have…' Tomoko thought, holding the other girl's gaze in awe and sending her a gentle smile of her own. "Yeah, I'm..I'm sure you're right…"_

…. _"Since Yuki-chan seems to have stepped out for awhile, Akane-san agreed to spend the night with me until she has to leave." Tomoko continued._ _Akane nodded in confirmation._

_Nao's jaw locked in irritation, but she was able to keep an expression similar to a smile on her face._

"_Oh, now did she?" the green-eyed girl grinned, making an effort to keep her tone pleasant, "Well, that's Akane-san for you…always being nice to and looking out for others…" Jealous fire was burning behind Nao's sweet demeanor… 'This completely ruins my plan!'_

* * *

"Oh, Nao-san, you're too kind…" Akane replied modestly, "Getting to know Tomoko-san has really been my pleasure." The red-head shared a friendly smile with the pink-haired girl next to her.

Nao bit back the urge to glare venomously at the beautiful, pink-haired girl right then and there.

"Well that's nice…" It was getting very difficult to keep the scowl off of her face now as Nao saw the chemicals begin to react between the two girls in front of her… "If you'll excuse me, though… I have to go check the kitchen…to make sure there are still enough refreshments…" The brown-haired girl walked off quickly.

For the rest of the evening, Akane and Tomoko got to know each other better. As much as Akane would have liked to talk to Tomoko by herself (Akane had begun to feel an unexplainably strong, friendly connection to the ruby-eyed girl as she'd gotten to know more about her through Tomoko's words and actions. Unknown to Akane, Tomoko felt the same way about her), but had remembered and kept true to her promise to introduce Tomoko to more students at the party. ('It would be unfair of me to monopolize Tomoko-san's time,' Akane had thought rationally, '…I haven't felt this intense a friendly connection to anybody since Shizuru-chan, though…I wonder if Tomoko-san would be interested in becoming friends? I know that we live quite far from each other, but….No, that's much too forward of me…I'm sure that Tomoko-san is probably much more interested in just having a good time tonight and making many friends, not just making friends with me. In order to help her with that, I'll help her break the ice with other guests as well…') As the pair did this, Akane introducing the pink-haired beauty to her classmates and acquaintances, they always received polite smiles from the people they were talking to at the moment. As the evening went on, though, unknown to the friendly duo, Akane and Tomoko began receiving glares behind their backs from the people they had already talked to (many of whom had seen the chemistry bubbling between the red and pink-haired girls even though the pair themselves were not aware of it)...

"I can't believe that…" A blond girl said with a scowl as she gestured toward Akane and Tomoko, who were talking with a group of girls across the room. "Would you have guessed that the random hot girl from out of town would be the one who'll get Akane to fall for her? To accomplish what the rest of us have been trying to do for years…?"

"No…" Nao's expression was bitter as well as she responded to her blond classmate while glaring at Tomoko, "I _really_ can't say that I could have…"

The brown-haired, green-eyed girl checked her watch for the umpteenth time. (She had spent the evening, while not talking politely with guests, wallowing in misery; her resentment toward Tomoko Yoshikawa growing…) "Oh!" Nao's green eyes widened in surprise as she saw the time. "It's time for Akane-san to leave!" A grin crossed the brown-haired girl's features. She still had one more chance. One last attempt to capture Akane-san's attention…and her heart…

"Oh, Akane-san!" Nao said, walking up to the red-haired girl. Akane turned around from the conversation she was in, with Tomoko and the other guests, to address Nao. She sent the party host a happy smile.

"Yes, Nao-san?"

Nao's knees grew weak at the direct attention the school idol was giving her. After taking a quick second to regain her composure, Nao spoke again.

"I don't know if you've it realized yet, but, it's 11:00. You said you had to leave, to take care of your sister…"

"Oh!" Akane's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Thank you, Nao-san! I hadn't realized how late it was…" She looked over to Tomoko, sharing a gentle smile with the ruby-eyed girl, "Time seems to have flown by…"

A blush adorned the shy, pink-haired girl's cheeks as she prepared to say something to Akane.

"You don't want to be late now, do you?! Hahaha…." Nao said, her forced-pleasant tone mixing with the urgency in her voice. She grabbed Akane's arm, turning the taller girl around and leading her toward the foyer of the house. "Let me walk you out."

Akane was caught by complete surprise as she was, almost dragged, out of the room by the green-eyed party host. 'Should I ask for Tomoko-san's phone number?' Akane thought quickly, looking back over her shoulder at the red-eyed girl. Tomoko also had a look of shock on her face as well… 'No, it's probably best if I don't overstep my boundaries with her. It's very unlikely that she felt the same intense connection that I did…' "It was nice to meet you, Tomoko-san!" Akane called, trying her best to face Tomoko while speaking, before being dragged completely out of the room by Nao.

"It was nice to meet you too!" Tomoko called back, lifting her hand up in a wave goodbye. Her gesture was not seen by Akane, though, who had already been dragged quickly out of the room. Tomoko's hand dropped slowly. 'I…should have asked for her phone number…' the pink-haired student thought wispily, still looking at the last place she had seen Akane, 'Should…Should I go after her?'

Before Tomoko could move to follow her red-haired acquaintance, a group of girls (who, unknown to Akane and Tomoko earlier, had been watching their entire interaction intently) converged on the shy, red-eyed girl, asking her questions like: "Do you like Akane-san?" "Do you know if Akane-san likes girls?" and "Are you going to ask Akane-san out?"

Although the words of the questions were different and all seemingly innocent, the tone behind each question was the same: _Who do you think you are?!_

* * *

Meanwhile, by the front door of the house, Akane was putting on her shoes. The fervid questions being asked in the living room of the house were just a blur of voices, indistinguishable from the chatter that had been filling the party before Akane and Nao had left…

"So, Akane-san…" Nao began, looking at the ground shyly as she stood beside her red-headed crush, "D-Did you enjoy the party?" 'I'll just make some small-talk with her, and then ask her what she thinks of me, and then…I'll just have to ask her out!'

Akane stood up after leaning over to put on her shoes. "Yes, Nao-san. Thank you very much for inviting me." She looked at the party host, sending her a friendly smile. "It was a wonderful party. I really appreciate the chance to have met so many nice people…"

Speaking of nice people… 'Tomoko-san,' Akane thought again as she stepped out the door, her body on auto-pilot as her mind thought seriously, 'Maybe it wouldn't have been unusual of me to have asked for her phone number. It's not as if I'd be asking her to be my best friend; I'd just be asking to keep in contact…Maybe I should-'

Nao's heart dropped as she saw the distracted look on Akane's features. The green-eyed girl knew that her red-haired idol was thinking about Tomoko. (Who else could Akane-san have been thinking about? The sparks that had been flying between Akane-san and Tomoko-san…They'd been so strong that they were almost visible…) Nao's entire demeanor flipped from nervously excited to completely dejected. There was no way that making small-talk with Akane would work now. The red-haired girl's mind, and if she was indeed into girls, then her heart as well, already belonged to Tomoko… Tomoko had already won…

"Well, thanks for coming…" Nao said in a depressed voice, shutting the door before a surprised Akane had any time to react.

'I guess I'll just go back to the party…' Nao thought to herself sadly as she walked back toward the living room of her house. Her eyes widened as a thought hit her, her eyes narrowing a second later, '…and get revenge on Tomoko-san…' An evil smirk made its way onto the green-eyed girl's features as she formulated a plan.

* * *

Tomoko blushed crimson at all the attention she was getting from every guest at the party.

"U-um…" she stuttered, nearly in shock as she began backing away from her interrogators, "I…I don't know? I hope so? I… I-I don't know?"

Tomoko's back hit a wall. 'What…What's going on…?' The pink-haired girl thought, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.

Right before Tomoko was about to faint from hyperventilation, a loud voice cut through the room.

"Everybody! Relax!" Nao sauntered into the room, looking at everybody with a chiding expression. "I'm gone for two minutes and the party's already out of control…" The rest of the partygoers calmed down significantly, looking at their host with apologetic expressions. The brown-haired host sent a casual smile to Tomoko. "It looks like we'll have to start a game to regain order. Right, Tomoko-san?" She waved for Tomoko to come toward her as she walked toward the center of the living room.

Tomoko looked at Nao with wide eyes, grateful to the other girl for taking the overwhelming attention off of her. "Yes!" Tomoko said quickly, walking over toward Nao, "Thank you, Nao-san!"

"Don't mention it," Nao replied coolly. 'You won't be thanking me for long…'

"Ok everybody," Nao instructed, as everybody gathered around the green-eyed girl and Tomoko in the middle of the room, "Get into an orderly circle. We'll start off by playing a classic party game…"

The crowd did as it was told, forming a single-file circle. Nao and Tomoko remained in the middle. Tomoko watched with innocent curiosity as the other girls lined up around the room. Her heart rate quickened suddenly, nervously, as her mind registered the visual fact that she was at the center of the circle. 'It's… just a, just a bad memory...It has nothing to do with the situation I'm in now...' the pink-haired girl thought, trying her best to calm herself. She moved to take a place in the circle herself, but was stopped by a hand grabbing her shoulder.

"No, you and I will stay here," Nao whispered, looking at Tomoko casually, "You don't mind helping me start off the game, do you?"

"Oh…" Tomoko whispered back softly in surprise. She smiled at the brown-haired girl timidly but trustingly. "Of course not! What game are we playing, Nao-san?"

Nao smiled at Tomoko.

"Truth or Dare."

Tomoko's eyes widened and a slight blush returned to her cheeks. "Nao-san, I'm not sure if-"

"It's all right," Nao reassured the shy girl, "I'll just ask you basic questions. Hopefully that will give the other guests all the information they need about you, so they won't overwhelm you for the rest of the party…"

"Oh." Tomoko nodded in appreciative agreement. Nao-san was so thoughtful! "Thanks, Nao-san!"

"Sure thing…"

Nao turned to address the members of the party who were participating in the game (which was everybody but two guests who had recently decided to make their way to the kitchen for a drink).

"All right, we're going to play Truth or Dare…" Nao said, looking around the room, "I'm sure you all know how to play that. But in case some of you don't, I'll start off by asking Tomoko-san." Nao turned to the pink-haired girl. "Truth or dare?"

Tomoko looked down shyly as she thought about the question. The red-eyed beauty knew that the safe option while playing truth or dare with friends was always-

"Truth," Tomoko replied, smiling trustingly and excitedly at Nao.

'Perfect…' Nao thought, keeping a sly grin from taking over her face. "Ok, so, Tomoko-san… What was your first kiss like?" 'I'll ask her some easy questions to get her guard down…then once she opens up and I've got some dirt on her I'll-'

"Um…" Tomoko replied nervously. (Nao noticed that the happy smile had disappeared from Tomoko's face…) Tomoko bit her lip, self-consciously continuing her sentence… "I…I haven't had my first kiss yet…"

Nao blanched in surprise. 'What's with how nervous she's feeling about this? Could she be _that_ insecure about herself…? Hah… This was too easy!'

"So, you haven't kissed anybody yet?" Nao asked, taking advantage of the pink-haired girl's self-consciousness.

"N-No…" Tomoko replied, looking at the ground.

"So nobody has ever liked you enough to want to kiss you…? What, are you weird or something?"

A few members of the circle giggled meanly. Nao smirked. It was time to go straight for the kill.

"What?" 'This isn't how you play Truth or Dare…' Tomoko frowned, her blush growing darker in negative embarrassment. "No! It's not that I…I mean…I don't think that I'm-"

"Save it- If a cute girl like you hasn't kissed anybody by now, it's because everybody thinks you're a freak."

_Freak_…The word hit Tomoko like a ton of bricks. A roar of laughter from the crowd followed Nao's cruel words. Tomoko wrapped her arms around her body self-consciously. Her bottom lip began to tremble. Already light-headed from all the attention that was on her, she fell to her knees on the floor…

Freak…_"You're a freak!" The kids in her kindergarten class had said to her. "Your eyes are scary! Like a demon!" Even though Tomoko was the sweetest girl in the class, she was teased for her unusual eye color _**(A/N: Refer to Note 2 below, after reading the end of the chapter)**_… The other children had gathered into a circle around the poor, innocent girl, chanting, "Freak! Freak! Freak!..."_

Tomoko had learned later in life that her red eyes were nothing to be ashamed of (She was a good person, and she was secure about that fact. Her eye color had no negative effect on her personality) but even to this day…that word…_freak_…still scared her so badly…

'I'm not…a freak…'

* * *

**Important Note 1: The reason why Tomoko and Akane aren't together (in this story/series yet) is because of: shyness from both of them, a total lack of communication (about their feelings for eachother) (they both are fairly ambiguous to others about their sexuality, and haven't had an interest in anybody but the person they each secretly love but hide their love for), and because of plot. (It would be a really bad situation for Akane if she were to be in love with two people at the same time, right? Which is why it would be best for Akane and Tomoko not to share their feelings with each other until way later, after the feelings in Akane's heart have been sorted out…) The biggest plot reason will be revealed in the next chapter! ;)**

**Important Note 2: Red eye color in a character is sometimes associated with evil/danger. I think that Tomoko's red eye color doesn't mean anything bad about her personality though. I think that Tomoko is a sweet, loving, kind, and genuinely gentle character, who would never be evil or hurt anybody.**

**I do think though, that Tomoko's eye color, and the fact that she appreciates Chinatsu's scary art and "**_**rough as a road construction crew**_**" gestures/massages, could say something (****completely harmless**** but nonetheless eccentric) about her personality though…Ok, stop reading here if you're under 18 years old or are particularly innocent when it comes to matters of…intimacy… Xo**

**(Warning: Only read if you're over 18. I mean it!)**

**My hypothesis about how Tomoko is "eccentric" (like how Chinatsu creates scary art)**

**You know how women who wear red are usually seen as more sexual/less innocent? Well…I think that this is where Tomoko's eye color, and more importantly the fact that she understands Chinatsu's scary drawings/appreciates Chinatsu's "**_**rough as a road construction crew**_**" gestures/massages, comes into play…I think that (while Chinatsu's eccentric side shows itself harmlessly in her scary art abilities) Tomoko's eccentric side shows itself harmlessly in the fact that she has some…different…preferences in bed. (That Tomoko is a very sexual person at heart, who likes to use many different positions, and "likes it rough" sometimes too.) Tomoko is still a kind, sweet, and gentle girl though. And, she's the uke (submissive partner) in any relationship she's in. (Therefore, she likes to be the recipient of the "rough" actions, not the giver. It's never anything bad, anyways- She never has anything be done to her that would really hurt her.) The song "Your Body" (the clean version that says "love" not the f-word) by Christina Aguilera comes to mind when I think of Tomoko's character… So, Tomoko would be a "freak" in bed, but not in a bad way, just a good/kinky way… (Accepting this about herself will later, as a character development, allow her to overcome her insecurities about the word "freak".)**

**As for how Akane would react to this side of Tomoko: I think that Akane would be a little surprised by Tomoko's affinity for such things, but would accept it. Akane's character is a naturally gentle person herself, so she would have trouble doing some of the things Tomoko might want her to do on some occasions, but their relationship would work out through compromise and honest communication. As for the "very sexual" side of Tomoko, Akane has those type of desires as well (everybody who's seen the show/read the manga knows that she's a total pervert X3), so Akane and Tomoko are perfectly compatible in that way.**

**See? No violence or evil at all. Tomoko's (in my hypothesis, which can make sense when you think about it, I think... Really, what else could be "wrong" with sweet, kind Tomoko-chan if/because she sincerely appreciates Chinatsu's scary art and rough massages?) character just has some slightly different and totally harmless preferences in bed…and… I'm going to faint now after talking about that (because I'm a prude, with a way too analytical and perverted mind)… Xo**

**Anyways, you don't have to accept my hypothesis! Tomoko's character is to you as a reader, however you want her to be/however you see her as. Please disregard the 18+ part of my earlier theory if don't wish to believe it. :)**


End file.
